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Cowboys roundtable: Grading the team’s 2024 performance

Washington Commanders v Dallas Cowboys
Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images

Our writers provide their opinions on the latest Dallas Cowboys news during our weekly review on the Roundtable.

Every week, we gather the latest news about the Dallas Cowboys and seek our writer’s perspective on each headline. Welcome back to the roundtable. This week we have Brian Martin, Tom Ryle, and RJ Ochoa, David Howman and Jess Haynie.

What grade do you give the offense for this year’s performance and which player stood out for you?

The Cowboys offense started the season one-dimensional. They were often stuck playing catchup, and were unable to find a rhythm in the ground game. They also lost three key starters to injury. In the end the Cowboys offense finished the season 17th in total yards and 21st in total points scored, a far cry from the previous year where they finished top in most points scored.

Tom: I have to go with a C minus, and that may be generous. They could do some things at times, and had some nice games late, but overall they still stalled too often in the red zone and failed to sustain drives. However, I have to be a bit impressed at how they got some good performances out of a depleted, patchwork offensive line. My standout is Rico Dowdle, who looked like a legit starting RB by the end of the season. I still would like to see them draft another, but think they should definitely try to bring Dowdle back.

Howman: I’ll go with a solid C. On one hand, the offense looked horrible at the start of the year, though much of that had to do with them almost always playing from behind. On the other hand, Mike McCarthy managed to figure out the run game once he was allowed to feed Rico Dowdle, and the production he squeezed out of Cooper Rush was pretty impressive. All in all, it brings to me a very middle of the road grade. But, as they say, C’s get degrees; now we’ll find out if they also get contract extensions.

Brian: Considering how much the offense seemed to regress from 2023 to this season, I’m going to get them an F grade. It took them too long to figure out the running back-by-committee wasn’t working and that Rico Dowdle was their RB1. Then throw in the red zone woes and the fact they led the league in red zone turnovers, this year’s offense was a big reason why they finished 7-10 with or without a healthy Dak Prescott.

Jess: I’m going with a “D” because the offense was at its worst when it had most of its pieces. Yes, things got better as the season went on and I agree that some credit is deserved for how things continued to function after the injuries. But the way RB was handled early on was a joke, things were still way to vanilla when Prescott was healthy, and there still too many poor situational decisions by the offensive playcaller. This is reason #1 why Mike McCarthy should not be brought back. Standout player; easily CeeDee Lamb. Continued to be a franchise WR even without his starting QB. Huge year for his reputation and credibility as a leader going forward.

RJ: It is difficult to grade anything objectively what with how the front office went about things over last offseason. I’d say that a C is fair given all context. As far as individual standouts I am going to take a bit of a turn here and go with Luke Schoonmaker. I am far from ready to anoint him, but in the spell where Jake Ferguson missed some time he proved to be somewhat serviceable. That is interesting relative to the future.


What grade do you give the defense for this year’s performance and which player stood out for you?

The defense started the season already hindered by injury. Those injuries only continued as the season drew on leaving rotational players trying their best to hold up. Compounding the problem was also Mike Zimmer and the system he was trying to install. Things for Zimmer certainly looked better in the back half of the season but his defense still ended fourth-last in rush yards allowed and worst of all finished second-last in total points allowed.

Tom: I have to break it down into two parts, a D minus for the first part of the season, and a B for the last. Mike Zimmer said on The Fan his one regret was not putting his system fully in place right away. He tried to meld it with what was there because Dan Quinn had gotten a lot out of his way, but that delayed developing what turned into a pretty salty bunch despite a ton of injuries. Speaking of injured players, DeMarvion Overshown was everything we hoped for before he was hurt. He has a bright future if he can manage to stay healthy.

Howman: A- from me. Mike Zimmer said last week that he felt pressure to not change too much with the defensive scheme early on in an attempt to not rock the boat from what Dan Quinn left behind. Once he started doing things his way, the defense took off. I was most impressed by Marist Liufau, who looks like an enforcer already and a potential superstar in this defense, provided Zimmer returns.

Brian: Maybe it’s the last impression they left on me, but I was really impressed with Mike Zimmer’s defense this year. He got little to no help from the Cowboys in the offseason via free agency or the draft despite several key members moving on elsewhere and still managed to get the best out of what he had. I would give them an overall solid A grade and would be at all surprised to see Zimmer return in 2025.

Jess: “C” overall, which is the average of a “B” for the second half and “D” for the first half. Zimmer did a great job of adjusting as the season went on, both in terms of taking over a new defense and dealing with all of the injuries. The standout player was definitely DeMarvion Overshown, though Micah Parsons deserves some major credit for the way he came back from injury and kept leading on the field despite the dismal season.

RJ: I’m going to go with another C here, although it bordered on a B at times. The totality of injuries certainly made matters all the more difficult which is really unfortunate. I am extremely excited to see what Marist Liufau has to offer as he really shined over the season’s final weeks.


What grade do you give the special teams for this year’s performance and how would you describe Brandon Aubrey this season?

Brandon Aubrey had another insane season and broke several records along the way. Aubrey made history as the first kicker in the NFL to achieve over a mile’s worth of field goals in a single season. He successfully converted 40 field goals, setting an NFL record with 14 of those from distances of 50 yards or more. According to OptaStats, the total distance of Aubrey’s field goals reached an impressive 1,769 yards, which is about 5,307 feet, surpassing the one-mile mark of 5,280 feet.

Tom: A B minus. They didn’t get as much as they needed and had a couple of notable big mistakes, but Aubrey alone raises this score. He is just butter.

Howman: A+ for Bones Fassel and co. Many will point to the Bengals game as a huge blunder, but that’s not really on coaching or even really the player, given the fluky situation; just a wrong place, wrong time kind of thing. Outside of that, the special teams continued to make high impact plays all year long, and they finished the year third in special teams DVOA. Brandon Aubrey officially took his crown as the NFL’s best kicker this year.

Brian: I think I’d have to give the Cowboys special teams this year an A+ grade. They have the best kicker in the league and Brandon Aubrey and the most dangerous punt/kick returner in KaVontae Turpin. Both players provided jaw-dropping moments this year.

Jess: How can it not be an “A” when you have the best kicker and return man in football? But let’s not blow through this topic without also giving Bryan Anger and Trent Sieg their props. Anger remains in the top half of NFL punters despite being 36 years old, and misses out on opportunities for more non-returnable kicks due to Aubrey’s range. And if it wasn’t for his social media presence, you’d never know that Sieg existed. That’s what you want from a long snapper.

RJ: It certainly has to be an A. Brandon Aubrey is a wizard and deserves all kinds of props and kudos. It is unbelievable that he is a Cowboy. We are much closer than we think to the front office dragging his contract extension out, too.


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